


Paul and Alice deserve happiness

by LynxB3



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Animal Death, Cats, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, Paul Matthews has three cats, Pets, Uncle-Niece Relationship, they deserve happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:27:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21691282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynxB3/pseuds/LynxB3
Summary: Paul has never been good with kids. Sure, sure, he may have cats, but that doesn't mean he can take care of kids!So when Bill comes up to his house asking him to take care of Alice, and he's left on his own... Well, he just hopes he doesn't fuck this one up.
Relationships: Paul Matthews & Alice, Paul Matthews & Bill
Comments: 6
Kudos: 82





	Paul and Alice deserve happiness

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work for TGWDLM, so I hope I got their characters right! Alice and Paul's relationship was briefly touched in TGWDLM and I'm soft for them. It is also, like, 4am, so any spelling mistakes are on me!
> 
> Not beta-read.

Paul has never been good with kids.

Well, scratch that. He looked after three of Artemis' kittens in his house for half a year before Charlotte finally begged him to adopt them. She took only one, as neither he nor Artemis could part with them all. But he has never been good with human kids.

So, he was all but surprised when Bill - his oldest friend in the entirety of Hatchedfield, who knew better than anyone that he wasn't good with kids - asked him to look after Alice. Alice, who was- was what, even, six or seven years old? 

"It's only for a night," he had said. "It'll never happen again."

Yeah, right. Okay. Okay. Alright. Mhm.

Paul stared at the little girl in front of him, with a stuffed raccoon in one hand and an overnight bag in the other. He barely registered Bill's talking on his ears about how he should take care of Alice, her bedtime, what she could or couldn't eat, and whatnot.

Alice stared right back at him, with those big, bright eyes. If she stared with anymore intensity, she'd probably set something on fire.

"Well, that's basically it." Bill pulled him out of his daydreams. "Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Right, okay. Yeah, we'll be fine." Paul looked at him, giving him a yellow smile. "Don't sweat it."

Bill looked at him, as if trying to decide if Paul was more likely to end up getting him and Alice killed, or arrested. "I'm trusting you, Paul. Keep my daughter safe, or God help me-"

"I'm not a maniac, Bill. I can do this."

Hard to say that confidently when Paul himself didn't believe it.

~*~

It really should be impossible to have an uncomfortable silence with a six year old. But Paul could win a prize to managing to do it.

"So… um…"

"Dad says you're really weird."

Oh. What a great way to start a conversation. Alice was staring at him just as intensely as before, but instead of… whatever emotion lead to someone stealing a soul, it was pure curiosity. 

"Oh, really? And why- why is that exactly?"

"Daddy says you're always quiet, and you stutter when you speak, and you're always…" Alice frowned, looking for the exact word her father used. "Solitary?"

Oh. 

Oh, that was all? Paul almost laughed in relief, that was everything? Well, he couldn't exactly deny what was true, but when that was everything…

"To be honest, your father is right. Don't have a whole lot of friends to spend my time with and-" Paul cut himself off. That was too depressing for a child. "You know what, forget it. What else does your dad tell you?"

Alice stood a few moments in silence, playing with her plush raccoon. "Well, he told me you had cats. Is that true? Can I see them? What’s their names?"

Okay, that was absolutely adorable. Paul couldn't say no to that.

When Bill arrived the next morning, he'd find none of his laid protocol followed, but instead Paul, Alice, and Artemis (plus her kids) huddled together on the sofa, fast asleep.

~*~*~*~*~

Paul quickly found himself babysitting Alice more and more. And since then, he'd quickly grown to know everything about her he had to know.

Alice liked cats, and raccoons, and dogs. Basically, all four legged furred animals. And she liked to read all the books she could find. Including books on those said animals. So their most recent outings, they went to all libraries (exactly one and a half) and zoos (one) in Hatchedfield. And Alice seemed to really enjoy it all. 

Paul was glad. He was at least half a decent uncle, then?

He watched as Alice ran around, notebook in hand to write down every piece of information she could find about the animals.

Really, it was amazing how anyone would dislike seeing the excitement in the girl's face.

"Uncle Paul, come look at this raccoon! He's cream!"

And what else could Paul do but obey?

~*~*~*~*~

Artemis was dead.

Paul really shouldn’t be this sad over it. She was a cat, she was old. Her kids were almost seven by now, and really, he should’ve seen it coming.

He did see it coming. And that only made it worse.

When he went to work the day after the vet gave him the news that Artemis was already hunting in the fields of a spiritual plane, Alice was there. The cruel coincidences of earth, he thought, as she asked him what had happened.

Had someone already had the death talk with her? God, he hoped so. It would be really awkward to explain why his cat was gone to an eight year old.

He was lost in his own work, trying to crack down on why a building company asked for ten times their budget for repairing a drugstore’s front pavement, when Alice plopped down on the chair beside him - Ted would be pissed when he came back - and started talking.

“Peter called Susie a bad word today. I don’t want to say it to dad, because he loves Susie, but she deserved it.”

She then locked her gaze on him as if she was expecting something.

Paul took a few moments to process the situation before responding.

“Well, Ted calls me bad words sometimes. I like to think that deep inside, he still likes me.”

“I had a dream I was a blueberry the other day! It was reeally weird, because I ate that blueberry after that. Is that canbi- cannibalism?”

“I don’t think you can eat yourself, even in a dream. But I think it is.”

“Did you dream of anything last night?”

Tough question. Paul has barely been able to sleep these past few weeks, what with the consistent meows and screams from the cats, but he scours his memory for anything worth sharing.

“I dreamt I was getting chased by a crab. And then I woke up, and was chased by that crab again, because I only woke up in my dream. It was scary.

“What happened to Artemis?”

And the prize for question of the day goes…

Paul opened his mouth, and then closed it back again. He held himself from repeating the motion, trying to come up with something - anything, really. But Paul was, admittedly, not very good at coming up with answers under pressure.

“Why do you think something happened to her?”

“You took down her pictures. And your hands are all bandaged and hurt, it must have been her - right?”

“Looks like we have a little Sherlock Holmes here, don’t we?” he laughed, trying to keep calm. “But yes, it was- it is about her.”

Alice’s eyes widened even more than before. Paul made a big mistake, he realised.

“Was?”

Oh dear… Oh no.

Bill rushed over to his desk, trying to hug Alice and take her away from Paul. They both were crying, Alice sobbing even, and neither wanted to let go.

~*~*~*~*~

Even though the rain was pouring like it was the end of the world, and there was no light on Paul’s whole block, Alice still stood in the front door - soaked, anxious, and curled up on herself - waiting for the door to be opened.

Paul definitely wasn’t expecting that one.

“Alice, what are you doing out there- you’re gonna catch a cold!” he quickly ushered her inside, taking one long look at the neighbourhood - Alice may be 13, and Hatchedfield may be as small as an egg, but one can never be sure - before closing the door.

“Don’t think I’m not delighted to see you here, but…” the question died on Paul’s mouth. 

“I needed somewhere to go, and I don’t want to talk to my parents right now…” Alice’s voice was soft and shaky. Shit, she’s still cold. Paul sat her on the couch and pulled out the chest beneath it to grab a quilt for her. “I don’t think they’d- I’m not sure I could-”

“Take a breath. You remember our rules, right?” he hoped Alice would remember their old game. It would certainly make talking much easier for her. He kneeled by her side, finding it easier than moving to the other unbroken spot by her side. “One confession for each until you’re cool to talk about it.”

Alice looked down for a few moments. Paul just then realised how small she still was, how her hands could still fit inside Bill’s - or his own, for that matter. No matter how hard she denied she was a child, Paul couldn’t help it but feel the need to shield her from whatever was this terrifying to say out-loud.

“I didn’t know it would be raining, so I ran off without an umbrella.”

“I didn’t know the lights would go out. Would have chosen an easier dinner to make instead something that requires three different mouths on the oven.”

“I found a dog on my way here… He had the same markings as Artemis. Maybe she came back?”

“I never had the heart to properly wash the bed she and her kits shared. It’s still under the cupboard.”

“I think I’m in- I think I like a girl from my class…” Alice’s voice died down as she spoke, and Paul almost couldn’t hear the last part.

There was silence for a few seconds. Alice refused to look up, staring at her hands (a closed fist, an open fist, twisting her fingers together and untying them) like her life depended on it. 

“And you’re afraid your parents wouldn’t accept you for that?” Alice snapped her head at Paul, her eyes glassy and wide.

“I- do you think they would, Paul?”

“I’m sure your parents will love you no matter what you do, Alice. Doesn’t matter if you kill a guy or get an F on your test, they will. I know I will.”

“But… Isn’t it weird? I’m a girl too and-”

“Alice.” Paul interrupted before she could burst out in tears. “Alice, my dear, there’s nothing to worry about. People like each other. People get crushes, and they get married, and life goes on as normal. Just because you like girls doesn’t mean it’s wrong, or that’s anything changed. Life moves on.”

Paul sat on the sofa near Alice. He was this close to just bring her to his lap to hug her better, but Alice was already too tall for that.

“You’re still Alice.”

Alice smiles shakily, and she visibly relaxes like she had just let down the weight of the world from her shoulders.

The storm outside was invisible in the horizon.

~*~*~*~*~  
Bill was getting a divorce.

He walked into work with a slow pace, facing the ground, shoulders heavy. Charlotte hugs him when he walks him. Ted pats his shoulder and offers a tentative smile. Melissa brings him a piece of apple pie, ‘’just a left-over piece from a party over at home, nothing too special!”. Mr. Davidson lets him get a week off work.

Paul volunteers to stay with Alice.

He knows she’s seventeen, and she has a girlfriend, and she’s almost a senior but… The girl deserves it. 

Bill looks at him with the most thankful eyes in the world.

~*~*~*~*~

“I’m sorry-”

“No.”

Alice stopped mid-sentence, and snapped her head at Paul like he had murdered her entire family. 

“Pardon me?”

“No I- I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry. Don’t be sorry.”

“You don’t even know what I’m sorry for.”

But Paul didn’t really need to know, now did he?

“Come on in, Alice. I’ll order something while you stay and- you can even invite Deb along, what do you think? I swear I won’t third wheel for you two.”

Alice grins at him. “Maybe we can marathon our films again?”

“Pride and Prejudice awaits you in your room, as always.”

The next day, when Bill arrived to check in on his daughter, he was met with the sight of Paul, Deb, and Alice on the sofa, fast asleep.


End file.
